How Force India deal may hurt McLaren, Renault and Williams

Force India's salvation deal could well involve it developing a much deeper relationship with Mercedes - and that possibility is at the heart of why three rival teams are standing in the way of its prize money payments

The purchase of Force India by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll has put a renewed focus on the controversial question of collaboration between Formula 1 teams.

Some rivals have made it clear that they fear Force India will now further strengthen its ties with Mercedes - possibly to the extent of becoming a de facto B-team.